Another post

It's been a long time since I've posted anything. My last post was quite awhile ago. So what have we done these last 6 weeks. This past weekend, we took the family up to Sun Valley. I did the Boulder Mountain Tour, which is a 30K cross country ski race. I finished 40th out of 700. I was hoping for top 25, but I'm still not there yet. The kids loved Sun Valley. After the race, I took Dekker skiing up on Dollar Mountain while Colleen and Haydenne basked in the sun at the swank base lodge. On Sunday, Colleen took Dekker up to Dollar and I rented a trailer and cross country skied with Haydenne for a few hours. It was a great weekend. Work has been busy, but the economy is hitting here as well. Business is off about 30%.
Heading to Jackson Hole tomorrow and then next week a bunch of old friends from Michigan come into town for the week. Should be good fun. If I think of anything interesting, I post it.
Below are links to my Facebook photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36953&id=1065787013&l=fb67b
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37535&id=1065787013&l=8a9db
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37863&id=1065787013&l=8a71d

Christmas and a New Year's sick with food poisoning.

r

u

Christmas was great for the kids. They got everything they asked Santa for. Dekker got the "city" he asked for and Haydenne got "Cinderella". We were stuck in the house all day on xmas due to blizzard like conditions. We tried to get to Goldener Hirsh for our traditional xmas fondue, but the snow sents us back home. So I went to the store and bought some to eat at the house. People were skiing to the grocery store since it was easier than driving. Deer Valley got 28inches in 24 hours. So the skiing was good after we dug out of the snow. With the snow, the elk have returned. Just about every morning the elk have been feeding behind the house before they head up the hill at sunrise.
Work has been busy with the holiday crunch. I met a couple of friends for a bite to eat after work on Dec. 30th and woke up that night with food poisoning. I've been on the couch for 2 days now. The bad news is I missed a ski race, the good news is the Red Wings/Blackhawks game from Wrigley Field was on. Back to a big departure day at work. I have another race on Saturday. A bunch of the US Ski Team members are back in town for the holidays and are planning on showing up. Nothing like racing against the best in the country after spending a day with your face in the toilet.

Christmas Eve 2008

Here are some photos from Xmas Eve. The Carroll's arrived into town and we went to a new restaurant in town, The Last Samurai. The kid's love it because of the "show" and the fire on the hibachi grill. We go out for Asian/Sushi pretty often, so they are becoming little pro's with the chopsticks. The night before we took Dekker and Haydenne to Main St. to see Santa. Unfortunately, we missed Santa's arrival via the chairlift down to Main St, but we got to see him and the kids got to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. It seems like it hasn't stopped snowing in weeks, so we haven't been able to get the kids on skis for a couple of weeks. Hopefully, this weekend if it's not too busy.

Been a long time

Sorry. It's been a long time since posting. Things are starting to look whiter in PC. I just got off the slopes. It's windy and very cold. We get 4-6 inches every day or two. No one big storm, but a constant stream of little storms. More of the mountain is opening everyday. We have been able to take the kids up the lifts at Park City for the past couple of weekend. Haydenne went up her first chair lift. Dekker had his first Christmas Pagent yesterday. He did GREAT! Colleen and I were so proud of him. He was a Breaker Dancer. If you wondering why a Break Dancer in a Christmas Pagent, forget about it. I'd have to give you the whole story of the Pagent. I think we might have a performer on our hands. He seems to enjoy performing.
I will try and post the video in the next day or so.

Haydenne's first day of skiing!

Today was Haydenne's first day of skiing (and like Dekker's 30th). Haydenne is only 25 months old and she skied for over an hour. We went to Alta and played around on the rope tow for the afternoon. It was a beautiful day. No snow in a while and warm temps, but it was gorgeaous up there. Not sure what's in store for Thanksgiving. Running short of snow and money, so might have to cancel the West Yellowstone Trip. Plus I might have to work.

Update

It's been awhile since the last update. Not too much to report. This time of year is tough. It's dark when I get home, so no hiking, golf, riding, etc.
I've been busy at work getting ready for ski season which starts in Park City at Nov.22. We got 3+ feet of snow last week up high (about a foot at the house). So Snowbird, Alta, Brighton and Solitude have already opened for the season.
Really not much else to say. We are planning on heading up to West Yellowstone for Thanksgiving. Yellowstone is about a 5 hr. drive from PC. I've shown Dekker and Haydenne video's of Old Faithful on YouTube, and they are all excited to go. Dekker is already talking about Christmas. He asks if today is Christmas, every morning. That might get a little irritating if he doesn't get over it. Here are some photos from this week. We woke up Saturday morning with a couple of visitors in the driveway

Just some pretty photo from this morning.

More Halloween

Halloween was a LONG day, but it was alot of fun.
Started the day out like everyone else and got in a 1.5 rollerski with a 3 time Olympian. After the ass kicking, we dropped Dekker off at school and took Haydenne to her gym class. I think I have just as much fun as the kids flopping around in those foam pits. Truth be told, I have to hold back my enthusiasm or I would be flipping all over the place.
After gym, we picked up Dekker, got in a quick lunch and went to the Olympic Park to watch some ski jumping and play on the playground at the base of the jumps. Before you knew it was time to hit Main St. The city closes Old Town off to traffic and the kids go door to door to all the storefronts for trick or treat. The kids have a blast. After trick or treat, we ran home for a quick dinner and then over to the McKone's for a little kid/adult party, or adult/kid party. It was for the adults.
Got home and sacked out.
This morning, woke up and had coffee with 3 moose eating our neighbors bushes and then did another 1.5hr rollerski up Lambs Canyon, hung out with the kids for a few hours and then headed into work for the evening. Tomorrow is Sunday. I'm sure it won't be a day of rest, because they never seem to be. It's suppose to snow/rain tomorrow, so it's off to the ice rink for a short track speed skating workout and then some open skating with the kids. Can you believe I grew up in Trenton and couldn't skate. Little secret I kept to myself all these many years. I can speed skate now (sort of).
Got some good news tonight. I got invited to join the Rossignol Ski Team for this winter. It's for nordic ski racing. Not sure what it all entails, but I'm sure it will be fun.
Oh, almost forgot. I saw the doctor about my knee last week. No problems. I must of hit a nerve. It should come back all by itself. Kind of neat having a childhood idol be your doctor/friend.

Ghosts in the Glenwood Cemetary

We took the kids to the Glenwood Cemetery in Park City on Sunday. This is the old cemetery from back in the mining days. Most of the head stones go back to the mid to late 1800's. Keep neat and creepy place. Each Halloween they have people dress up as the ghosts of some of the notable figures in the cemetery and give some of the history of early Park City days and the hardships they endured.
The kids could care less about hearing about the history, but had fun anyways.

2 Halloween's Down, 1 to Go.

We are done with 2 Halloween Parties for the kids and only have the Main Event on Friday. I had Friday off of work and Dekker didn't have school, so we were able to hang out all day. We hit the gymnasium in the morning and the Park City Mom's Halloween Party in the afternoon.
This morning we had the Halloween Party at the country club for the kid's. They had face painting, balloon animals, and a creepy magician/juggler telling borderline inappropriate jokes. But the kids had a great time.
I'm meeting some friends on Sunday for probably the last big mountain bike ride of the year. On Monday, I have an appointment to see Eric Heiden about my knee. My right knee is numb to the touch, but it doesn't affect me, nor does it hurt. It's really weird. Better get it checked out just in case.

HUGE Weekend!! Birthdays, Golf, Trams, and Elk....

I'm exhausted! It was a fun filled packed weekend. Thursday was Colleen's birthday and Friday was Haydenne's Birthday. I think both girls had a great time on their birthday's. The Carroll's are in town as well to help celebrate. I don't think we could have packed more into a weekend.

On Friday night, I woke up swearing I heard the kid's party favors. I thought maybe one of the kids woke up and was playing in the kitchen, but everyone was asleep. I feel back asleep, but woke up hearing it again. It wasn't a party favor, but was a herd of elk right outside our backyard. I watched them for about 30 minutes. It looked like several dozens cows were behind the house and you could hear the bulls mating calls up on the hillside. It was amazing! I recorded a video with the sounds. You can't see anything, but can hear the elk calls. You can hear the cows and then you hear the big bull elk. Make sure you turn your volume up.

On Saturday, I got up early to get in a rollerski workout. Got back, put on the golf shoes and hit the course with Ed and Colleen. Colleen shot a 44 on the front and finished with a 91. Not too shabby for playing only a couple of times this year. Yours truly stopped keeping score at the 11th hole. Not pretty! After golf, I hopped on the mountain bike for 1.5 hours and Colleen went for a hike, got home and sat down for dinner and the Sox game.
On Sunday, I did another rollerski in the morning, we went to Snowbird to take the kids up the Tram, came home (I went mtn. biking, Colleen went hiking), and then headed up to the Clubhouse for dinner, and watched the Rays beat the Sox.